The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 101

The third day of May was the palace examination.

Compared to the joint examination, the palace examination was more relaxed. After all, this time the examination took place before the emperor himself—anyone daring to cheat would be courting their own destruction.

The guards at the gate only conducted a rough search to prevent candidates from carrying any sharp weapons, then allowed them through. Li Yiran stood in the front-middle section of the line, and soon it was his turn.

The examination was held in a grand hall, so spacious that even with more than a hundred tables set up, it didn’t feel crowded. 

The emperor and other invigilators hadn’t yet arrived, and the candidates were noticeably less nervous than they had been during the previous exam. After all, anyone who made it into this hall was already qualified to step into the officialdom—the only difference left was their final ranking. Of course, the top twenty candidates, those who believed they had a chance at the top three, were still a little tense.

Li Yiran sat behind his table, neither looking around nor chatting with others. He was silently guessing what the question might be this time. In general, regular exams tested book knowledge, while the palace examination focused on practical strategies. To be honest, this was where he might excel.

He’d asked around beforehand and found that more than twenty people, like himself, had spent five years working in lower-class positions before qualifying for the imperial examination. Among them, only three, including him, had made it to the palace examination. These three had more real-world experience than most of the other candidates.

Before long, all 170-something candidates had entered. A eunuch stepped onto the stage and called for silence. The hall quieted instantly—you could hear a pin drop.

“The emperor has arrived!” a slightly sharp voice announced, instantly stirring excitement. Everyone stood up, knelt beside their seats, and shouted in unison, “Long live the Emperor!”

“No need——” the same voice replied. 

The candidates rose, folded their hands before them, lowered their heads, and shut their eyes. No one dared look directly at the emperor.

“You are all talents selected by my beloved ministers, who carefully prepared the exam questions. I hope that in the future, you will perform your duties with dedication, so as not to waste the reputation you have earned from decades of diligent study.” The emperor’s majestic voice echoed throughout the hall.

Everyone responded in unison, “Yes!” Then they sat down. 

Eunuchs came forward to distribute exam papers—two sheets per person. Once everyone had received theirs, a eunuch read the exam topic aloud.

Li Yiran listened carefully, filtering through the lengthy prompt to identify the core question: “There has not been a drop of rain in a certain region from September last year to March this year. Now it is spring plowing season. How should this issue be addressed?”

After a moment of thought, Li Yiran picked up his brush and began writing. He summarized the local conditions and governance practices of Anyang County over the years, detailed them on paper, and added his own suggestions as well as possible scenarios and responses.

“Dong——” A bell rang, indicating that most of the allotted time had passed. 

The candidates had three more quarters of an hour to copy their responses onto the official paper.

At that moment, the emperor descended from his high seat and walked among the students. Everyone he glanced at grew nervous—some even paused their writing, afraid their hands would tremble and ruin their answers.

Li Yiran was midway through copying his answer when he noticed the light around him dim. Only then did he realize a bright yellow figure was standing beside him—looking at his paper. He was startled, a little flustered, but quickly steadied himself. After all, wasn’t this a rare opportunity? With his current ranking, the emperor would likely never see his paper otherwise.

These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Li Yiran only paused briefly before resuming copying. He even subtly shifted his position, allowing the emperor to see more clearly.

The emperor was surprised by his composure—this young man was calm. He didn’t disappoint Li Yiran either. He simply observed quietly beside him.

Li Yiran didn’t dare look up and couldn’t tell what expression the emperor wore, but the eunuch standing beside the emperor noticed that His Majesty seemed quite pleased.

Ever since the imperial edict was issued four years ago, one in ten court-appointed officials had to come from the grassroots level. These individuals typically refrained from empty talk, and their pragmatic style had earned the emperor’s approval.

Of course, passing the imperial examination was still a prerequisite.

Once he had finished reading, the emperor left with his attendants. 

The bell rang again, signaling the end of the exam.

As they left the hall, Li Yiran observed the expressions around him—some joyful, others dejected. He didn’t dwell on it. With confident strides, he exited through the door.

Because this exam involved fewer people, the results would be announced in three days.

“Chen Weizheng, first place in the first class, is awarded the title of top scorer and Jinshi.”

“Zhang Haiping, second place in the first class, is awarded the title of Jinshi.”

…

“Chu Zhishen, second place, is awarded the title of Jinshi.”

“Li Yiran, second place, is awarded the title of Jinshi.”

Li Yiran never expected that the emperor’s brief inspection would raise him from 66th place in the joint examination to the last seat in the second class. If not for this, he wouldn’t have qualified for the Hanlin Academy unless he had ranked as a Jinshi. From second place onward, the rest were all classified as Tong Jinshi. This was a tremendous opportunity!

(Translator’s Note:Tong Jinshi (同进士) — A rank within the imperial examination system referring to candidates who passed the palace examination but did not place among the top-ranked Jinshi (Zhuangyuan, Bangyan, Tanhua, or first-class Jinshi). They still held official Jinshi status and were eligible for appointment, but with lower prestige and weaker initial career prospects.)

While Li Yiran stayed in the capital to handle various post-exam matters, the Li family was overjoyed upon receiving the news.

Li Amu insisted it was thanks to his persistent prayers that the Bodhisattva had been moved, allowing Li Yiran to pass. He immediately took his basket and went out again.

When villagers saw him grinning from ear to ear, they casually asked what had happened. Soon, the entire village knew Li Yiran had passed the imperial examination.

Of course, there were those who were jealous and muttered bitterly, “He didn’t even get first place, what’s there to be proud of?” But before anyone else had to step in, their own husbands dragged them home for a stern lesson. 

No matter what place Li Yiran ranked, he passed—and from now on, he’d be different from ordinary folks like them.

People came to the Li household bringing gifts and flattering words as if they were free. Li Amu accepted everything graciously and told them to wait until Li Yiran returned so he could treat everyone to a banquet.

Tian Xiaoman was now six months pregnant, walking heavier by the day. His face had grown rounder, making his petite frame look even smaller.

A few days ago, Tian Amu sent over a basket of sweet white apricots, knowing Tian Xiaoman liked them. But because he was pregnant, he wasn’t allowed to eat even a single one. 

He could only watch others enjoy them—especially Le Ge’er, who ate with great enthusiasm and even ran over to say, “The apricots from Momo’s house are so good!” 

Fortunately, he was soon restricted in quantity too.

What comforted Tian Xiaoman most was that Li Wenxuan always stayed by his side and never ate any in front of him. That is, until one day, he accidentally caught Li Wenxuan in the kitchen, chewing on apricots—one in each hand—without having eaten a proper meal. 

Of course, Wenxuan made it up to him afterward by cooking noodles and adding three eggs.

These days, the baby moved more and more frequently, like it was doing somersaults inside his belly. Tian Xiaoman even felt he could no longer watch Li Wenxuan teach Liu Xilin martial arts—because the one in his belly seemed to be copying the moves!

In early June, the Li family received word that Li Yiran had been appointed to the Hanlin Academy as an editor. His official rank was unclear, but the most important thing was—he’d be returning home soon.

Upon hearing the news, Li Amu told Li Wenxuan to go to town and buy groceries. He had already asked a master chef in the village to prepare a menu for the homecoming feast.

Li Wenxuan set out in a carriage and didn’t return until evening. One item had sold out, and he’d waited in the county town for it to be delivered.

When he finally came back, carrying a full load of ingredients, he found that his brother had already arrived. 

Li Wenxuan jumped off the carriage, rushed over, and hugged Li Yiran.

“Brother! I knew you could pass! Hahaha!”

Li Yiran smiled and hugged him back, saying nothing.

He’d been running around for days. Everyone in the family understood and let him rest without asking too much.

Back in his room, half-lying on the bed, Li Yiran suddenly heard a soft voice from the doorway.

“Father?”

“Come in!” Li Yiran sat up and waved to Le Ge’er.

The child looked older now, and his brows and eyes were becoming more like his father’s. Li Yiran stared at him for a while, still feeling that everything was a little surreal.

“Father?” Le Ge’er called again.

“Hey, Le Ge’er, good ger. Father came back in a hurry this time and didn’t bring you a present. Will you blame me?”

“No!” Le Ge’er shook his head. “It’s enough that Father is back! While you were gone, Grandamu was always worried and barely ate anything.”

“You’re such a good child.” Li Yiran felt that Le Ge’er had been well taken care of by his parents and Wenxuan’s family.

Being praised, Le Ge’er’s eyes lit up with a smile.

He had always been such a good child.